They say life begins at 40. At 50, perhaps one starts looking back at what they've achieved. 60 is probably for marking that bucket list.

70 and 80 are just bonuses. But 90?

"We count life on this planet in years. At 93 years, I will simply thank my maker for sparing me, and giving me a life that has been very eventful," said Joe Lartey, the legendary broadcaster.

Now long retired, he spends his days observing the tranquil surroundings at the Kwame Nkrumah flats at Laterbiorkorshie in Accra.

On this Saturday morning, he had planned to spend his 93rd birthday in quietude. Lartey was visited by his son, who asked him to take a stroll.

After descending the staircase at his flat, the old man was given a chair under a tree, to enjoy the breeze and have some idle chatter with his daughter and grandchild, who were there waiting.

Little did he know what had been planned.

It was while there that the Joy Sports team crept up on him, bearing a cake and a sing-along birthday tune.

"Hellooooooo!", he waved.

Lartey's smile was warm as he quickly recovered from the surprise, recognizing the trio of Muftawu Nabila, Gary Al-Smith and George Addo Jnr.

"I didn't expect this at all. This is a surprise package," the nonagenarian managed, and then proceeded to pour blessings on the Multimedia Group for remembering him.

"The older you get, the less people usually come close to you. I'm thankful that I always seem to attract younger people as I grow."

Born Joachim Awuley Lartey in 1927 in the them Gold Coast, his career spanned more than five decades. And as recently as after his 90th birthday, the sharp-minded man was still teaching Ethics of Broadcasting.

He is especially remembered for his landmark interviews with 1964 Muhammad Ali interview and that with Jesse Owens in the Ivory Coast.

Everyone at JoySports wishes Uncle Joe a healthy life, and hope "to be here when I am celebrating 100 years", as he said.